Back in February I wrote an article bout how I think Microsoft will be using Windows 8 as a single OS to try and gain significant market share in a number of tech markets. Microsoft need a viable competitor to the tablets currently on offer and those that will be coming out between now and the launch of Windows 8. Microsoft also need to gain ground in the smartphone market.

We know that Windows 8 will run on SOC architectures used for tablets and mobile devices and that there will be a new UI, “Immersive” for mobile devices which seems to cover the tablet experience. But what of the smartphone market? Windows 8 could in theory be the OS for Windows Phone 8, however I imagine Microsoft will keep Windows Phone 8 a separate product but with much of the underlying code coming from Windows 8. The issue for Microsoft though is whether this will really help boost sales of Windows Phones.

Well what if it was possible to download an app on Windows and could use exactly the same app on Windows Phone too. Now that is something that should interest developers and consumers. Imagine only having to pay for an app once and have it on your 17” notebook and your 4” phone screen. Its not a far fetched idea.

Rafael Rivera, in a series of blog posts about new Windows 8 info, has said that some new apps found in Windows 8 use a new app model. These apps are for the Immersive UI, for touch based input, and resemble Windows Phone 7 apps. This new app type is called AppX and has long been rumoured. It will also be the app type for the new Marketplace that will come inbuilt with Windows 8. Therefore its likely that when Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 come out they will have a single app type for both sets of devices.

I think this is a very interesting idea and could really help Microsoft. I do wonder though on what set of Windows 8 devices the Immersive experience will be available and if the AppX applications will be available on all device types. I imagine Windows TVs and Windows powered set top boxes as some of the varied Windows 8 devices we will see once the new OS goes on sale. Will these kind of devices have access to the Marketplace and AppX apps? I hope so.

Therefore I would like to think that, like Windows 8, AppX could become a very widespread technology available on a very large number of device types.

So far though there has been no mention of Kinect integration in Windows 8 funnily enough though I’m not sure there is currently a more immersive experience than Kinect. Which makes me wonder if the “Immersive” UI will cater for more than just touch inputs. Keep this idea in mind I now look to the rumours that Microsoft might announced Silverlight for Xbox 360 at MIX next week. If this is the case then apps will no doubt be coming soon to the Xbox.

It only makes sense that these Silverlight apps were similar to the Windows Phone Silverlight apps. If they are similar then they are also similar to the Windows 8 AppX type of app. Surely then within the next few years developers will be able to create an app that will work on Windows, Windows Phone and the Xbox. With Silverlight’s ability to work in the browser too this would conform to Microsoft’s “3 screens and the cloud” mantra quite nicely.

What do you think about these ideas?

P.S. If you haven’t seen the Windows 8 news from Rafael Rivera and Paul Thurrott I urge to do so, they are very interesting.